Riverside Drive to Open Sept. 10 between 21st and 41st Streets

This article was archived on 6/30/2018

To coordinate with the opening of Phase 1 of the Gathering Place, Riverside Drive will open to traffic between 21st Street and 41st Street at 6 a.m. Sept. 10.

“When Riverside Drive reopens on September 10, it will be one of the iconic stretches of road in our city,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “As Tulsans will see, it has been straightened and leveled. But most importantly, it will transport people through the majesty of the Gathering Place and River Parks. This is an exciting time for Tulsa.”

Because Riverside Drive will be a major route to the Gathering Place, the City of Tulsa has made approximately $40 million in improvements to Riverside and nearby infrastructure. These include the following:

Travis Park and Swan Creek stormwater drainage improvements

Sanitary sewer replacement

New 12-inch waterline

Riverside Drive, 33rd Place to 41st Street

Riverside Drive, 24th Street to 33rd Place – includes new traffic signals at 27th Street, 31st Street, and 33rd Place

Motorists returning to Riverside Drive will have a completely new experience driving between 21st and 41st Streets. The Gathering Place includes two land bridges over Riverside Drive. Drivers will pass under two tunnels at these land bridge locations. Reconstruction of Riverside Drive also has improved safety for motorists by straightening the curve near the Pedestrian Bridge just north of 31st Street.

Funding for these Riverside Drive and related projects has come from the Improve Our Tulsa Third Penny Sales Tax, stormwater enterprise funds and a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the Federal Highway Administration.